


The Student

by MajorWeak



Category: Negan - Fandom, The Walking Dead
Genre: Abuse, Action, Apocalypse, Blow Jobs in a Car, Car Sex, Character Death, Come Eating, Come Marking, Come Shot, Come Swallowing, Come as Lube, Daddy Issues, Daddy Kink, Death, Declarations Of Love, Drunk Sex, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Falling In Love, Father & Daughter - Freeform, Father Figure, Father Figures, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fingerfucking, Fingering, First Crush, First Dates, First Kiss, First Love, First Meetings, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Forbidden Love, Forced Orgasm, Friendship/Love, Gentle Negan (Walking Dead), Hate, Hate Sex, Hate to Love, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Large Cock, Loss of Virginity, Love, Love Confessions, Making Love, Minor Character Death, Multiple Orgasms, Negan - Freeform, Negan Being Negan (Walking Dead), Nice Negan (Walking Dead), Oral Sex, Orgasm Control, Orgasm Delay, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Orgasm Denial, Pain, Painful Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Physical Abuse, Possessive Negan (Walking Dead), Protective Negan (Walking Dead), Public Sex, Revenge Sex, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Sex in a Car, Shower Sex, Simultaneous Orgasm, Swearing, Sweet Negan (Walking Dead), Teacher & Student, Teacher Negan (Walking Dead), Vaginal, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Virginity, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, daryl dixon - Freeform, injured, injuries, love making, rick grimes - Freeform, role model, the walking dead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:28:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27630740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajorWeak/pseuds/MajorWeak
Summary: Sam is the quiet, unpopular tomboy that sticks to herself. After a fight breaks out, her teacher begins to think there is more than meets the eye.
Relationships: Father & Daughter - Relationship, Teacher & Student - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

It was a typical day for Sam, sat at the back of all her classes, taking down notes between sketching things into her notebook, just getting bye like usual. It wasn’t until gym that anything interesting really happened. Most of the time she just stuck to herself, her teacher didn’t mind, he found out easily enough that she wasn’t the social type, that even if she were, she wasn’t all that popular anyway. Kids could be assholes like that. The rest of the class was playing volleyball while she hung around near the basketball hoops, shooting the ball repeatedly, enjoying being away from the rest of the class and being able to do her own thing.

It wasn’t unusual for the popular kids to mumble things about her as they passed in the halls or outside but that’s as far as it ever went. Today, one of the popular girls had taken the opportunity to throw the volley ball at the back of her head, of course she’d only done it because their teacher hadn’t been watching them and because they thought it would be fun.

“Throw the ball back, freak!” She called out with a soft giggle, sauntering over to Sam when she elected to ignore her.

Sam was willing to let it slide, at least until she this time threw the ball right at her face this time, in clear sight of their teacher. Sam licked the blood from her lip and wiped the blood from her nose before she swung her fist and connected with her jaw. She’d made an attempt to throw another punch but was intercepted by their teacher, he stood between the two with a not so pleasant look on his face. Negan called to his teacher’s aid, who was in his office studying, he told him to watch the class and then pointed to the both girls.

“Principal’s office, now!” He hollered, Casey was giddy on her feet, happy to obey and please their teacher.

Sam on the other hand attempted to move away, not interested in what he had to say, that came with consequences of its own, Negan gripping the collar of her jumper and gently shoving her forward while she flailed and tried to pull away. The sleeve of her jumper rose and revealed a bruise, at first he wasn’t concerned, teenagers were always hurting their damn selves he thought to himself.

He’d finally let go of her collar once the two girls were outside the office, a gentle tap at the door before he entered the room without a care for anyone inside. The two girls following behind, not that either of them had a choice. They were sat down and Negan had explained what had happened, or what he had seen from his view but Sam didn’t make a sound, didn’t try and defend herself, what would they care anyway.

“We’re going to have to call your parents.” Principal Wethers informed them both, causing and upset with Casey, not with Sam, she couldn’t have given a damn.

Casey was first, parents called, spoken to and then she was picked up. When they tried to call Sam’s parents, neither of the numbers were still active and they of course tried to ask her why, tried to get new number’s out of her with no luck. It wasn’t until they informed her that they’d need to contact the police that she showed any sign of worry, she’d made an attempt to get up and run, but Negan, despite his age, was faster than he looked and able to grip her collar again and sit her back down.

She didn’t say a damn word, even when the police came, though they did ask to have a word to both her principal and teacher alone. She was asked to sit outside and wait with one of the officers.

“She’s a foster, both her parents and brother died in a car accident when she was younger. You probably have her biological parents number’s on record, she would have changed them on the enrollment forms.” The officer explained, making Negan’s lip twitch. “We called her foster parents on the way out here, they’re good people, Sam is a good kid too, I just don’t think she’s ever gotten past her loss.”

Negan walked out of the room just in time to see her foster parents come into the office, they offered him a polite smile before they ushered her out to the car. They didn’t say a word the entire drive home, waiting until the got inside before they could begin.

“Just let me explain!” Sam cried out, though it came as no use to her at all, the first of her father’s blows knocking her to the ground, the second blow came as a kick to the ribs and then she was told to go to her room.

She didn’t hesitate to do just that, taking her bag and dashing off into her room, closing the door behind her as tears welled in her eyes. She’d pushed that aside and crawled into bed, curling in on herself under the covers, the pain in her body enough to help aid her to sleep, all throughout the night and into the next morning, woken to her alarm.


	2. Chapter 2

The day started the same as usual, shower, get dressed, brush teeth and then head to school. The only difference today being that she wore a baseball cap and sunglasses to try and cover up the bruise that occupied her right eye and part of her jaw, her lip split even worse now. Sam made sure that she had all her books for school and then packed in some clothes underneath them, deciding that she wouldn't be coming back home once school was finished, she couldn't do it anymore and told herself that she didn't deserve it, yet, there was still a part of her that believed she did deserve it all. As she entered the school halls she pulled the hood of her jumper over her cap, keeping her head down as she approached her locker to stuff away her bag and take her book, note book and pen to her first class. She was in pain, her ribs hurt more now than they did before and her head throbbed, though she knew well enough by now to know that she probably had a few broken ribs and a concussion to match. It felt like the day had slowly dragged on for her but her final class finally came and she was relieved, soon enough she would be able to get away from it all and just rest the way that her body craved so badly for her to do. Sam took up the seat at the back of Negan's room, him being both her sports teacher and her health teacher, quiet and to herself like she usually was. It wasn't until Casey had noticed her with her hat, sunglasses and her hood still on that she decided she would try and earn some brownie points with Negan after getting herself into trouble yesterday.

"Sir!" She chimed in her perkiest tone. "I believe that hats and sunglasses aren't allowed to be worn inside the class room and Sam is doing just that."

Negan rolled his eyes at her and then gazed over to Sam, letting out an irritated sigh. 

"First of all, don't call me sir, i have said it a hundred fuckin' times! It's coach or Negan, that's it. Second of all Casey, you are what they call a bully, a snitch and a fuckin' kiss ass so cut that shit out, it won't be tolerated in my gym, classroom or around me in general!" He boomed, then looked over to Sam and clenched his jaw. "Sam, hat and glasses off please."

The room all looked to her after Negan finally drew his attention to her, not before laughing at Casey for being called out by Negan. She sighed softly and after a moment had finally done what was asked of her, revealing the deep bruises that drew unwanted attention to her, soft gasps and mumbles from the class while Negan clenched his jaw and the hollered at the rest of his students to get their attention again. Nobody paid any more attention to her after that, he had a way of commanding a class and making the students fear him enough to actually respect him. The bell finally rang later on, students quick to grab their books and exit the room in a hurry like they all had somewhere interesting to be. Before Sam could make her escape she heard Negan's voice calling out to her over the clatter of noise of exiting students that asked her to stay back. She hadn't planned on actually staying back but his larger frame stood in the door way and trapped her inside the room, a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was left wondering around before he gestured for her to sit down, dragging a chair for himself so he was sat a few inches away from her, elbows perched against his knees as he looked her over.

"You doing ok kid?" Large hand gestured to her face. "Ball didn't hit you hard enough to mark you up that much, so you wanna tell me what happened?"

"Came off my skateboard yesterday at the skatepark, doctor said i was lucky that i didn't break my face."

She had to lie, god only knew what her fosters would do if she outright told someone about the abuse she was constantly faced with, she did know that it wouldn't end well for her at all but Negan wasn't stupid, he could see right through that lie but felt it right if he didn't push her, the last thing he needed was for her to feel like she couldn't trust him.

"Alright, get outta here then and maybe stay off of skateboards, i was young once too and i see the appeal but busting your shit up ain't gonna feel so great when you get ot being my age."

It was easy enough to fake a laugh and wave a goodbye, even easier to hideout in the school until she was sure that all the teachers had gone so that she could go to the nurses office and tend to her injuries. She wrapped a bandage snugly around her stomach, cleaned her lip, grabbed a cold pack for her eye and held it against the bruises as she went to the cafeteria to make herself something to eat, another luxury she rarely ever got at home. She didn't make anything too complicated, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bottle of water was enough, no one would even notice that anything was missing. She made her way out to the football field and sat on the bleachers, staring at the sun as it finally began to set, until it was finally dark. Negan had stayed behind to finish grading last weeks pop quiz's and had gone out to make sure that none of the football equipment had been left out on the field, which was when he saw the figure of someone sitting on the bleachers, completely oblivious to him being there until he called out to them. The girl was quick to her feet, bag slung over her shoulder as she dashed toward the other side of the field and jumped the fence, doing her injuries no favour whatsoever with that action but she still kept running until she was out of Negan's sight and close to home. She had hoped that she would be able to lie her way out of being in trouble but the second she stepped foot through her front door she was hit with a myriad of questions regarding where she had been and what she had been doing.

Her father snatched the bag from her shoulder and checked the contents of it, her books concealing the clothing that she had packed in there that morning, thankfully it gave her a little room to make up a lie but whether or not her foster parents believed her or not was a completely different story.

"I was at the library studying for my english exam tomorrow." And she wasn't exactly lying, she did have an exam so it was only a partial lie. "I just lost track of time, i got back as fast as i could."

The bag was tossed aside faster than she could blink and that was when she took another strike to the face, this time it was followed up with more than just a kick to her ribs. She felt the sharp pain in her leg before she saw the baseball bat that caused it, hitting different areas of her leg each time it landed but to her surprise it was quick to be dropped in favour of her father raining down a flurry of fists into her face, rendering her unconscious within minutes. She woke up as she was laid on a gurney and being rushed through the halls of what seemed to be a hospital, her parents explaining that they heard a bang and then came out to find her unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, of course they had already come up with a cover for themselves and one that the doctors didn't think to question given that the injuries fit the incidence. Sam was in and out for a little while but came too in a bed in a room, a nurse checking her over and explaining her injuries to her. They informed her that she had some muscle and ligament damage through her leg with a small fracture in her ankle, that she had broken a few ribs, broken her wrist and had some stitches in her face and four at the side of her head. They also asked her what had happened and she gave them a rough version of what their parents had said except she added that she missed the top step and then fell down them, to which they once again believed. She was just happy that they had given her the all clear to go home, she didn't want to stay at the hospital all damn night and have someone constantly waking her up to check on her when all she wanted to do was sleep. She was allowed to walk, even thought her foot up to her knee had been immobilized in a walking boot that had a built in brace for her leg and knee, though was given crutches to take home in case she felt she needed the aid.

The girl had fallen asleep on the couch and in the morning had woken up before her parents, much earlier than them or than she needed to be awake for school. She got herself cleaned up and then grabbed her backpack and crutches before she headed out the door, she didn't care if she got caught this time, she wasn't going back there. Sam walked to school which was not an easy task for her but she was determined to get there and forget about everything for a little while. Nobody said a single word to her, not even Casey for once but Negan felt a tight twist in his stomach when he saw her hobble into his gym that day.


	3. Chapter 3

She was left alone during gym, for once Casey had actually felt a sort of sympathy for her and had even made an attempt to approach her but was stopped by Negan, who informed her that it would be best if she left Sam alone given the trouble that she had already caused her, that fake sympathy bullshit wouldn't matter now. That meant that Sam got some time alone to draw in her notebook and was even able to get out before the rest of the other students when the bell rang, much to Negan's dislike, he made a mental note to try and catch her after school so that he could check in and make sure that she was ok, though it was obvious that she was anything but. The day finally came to an end, students all hurried out of the school while Sam hid herself away in one of the old classroom's that was in the middle of having some renovation work done to it, figuring that no one was ever in there anyway, except for the carpenters and whatnot but they were only there up until the end of the school day; so she was pretty safe in hiding in there without getting caught.

Once again, she waited until the school was empty, even made sure that Negan wasn't hanging around the gym like he had been the previous afternoon and then she headed into the sports storage room and sat down her bag and crutches. With a little effort she was able to lay down one of the thicker gym mats in the corner at the back of the room and then conceal it out of sight by dragging another in front of it, the rest hidden away by shelving and sporting equipment, it seemed like the perfect place to hide out and keep herself safe. Negan was smarter about it this time, he stayed hidden just outside the gym, able to see her enter the storage room when he poked his head around the still closing door, his large hand quietly landing against it to keep it from shutting on his damn head. He knew right away that it was Sam, the boot and crutches had been a dead give away and yet he remained hesitant for a moment as he decided on going to check on her. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her off when she was very clearly already scared and looking for somewhere safe.

He quietly approached the room in the gym and gently knocked at the door, a heavy sigh leaving him when he heard no reply back to his knock.

"I know you're in there kid, you ain't in trouble, just wanted to make sure that you're ok."

It was the only warning he gave before he gently opened the door and walked in, hitting the light switch as the door swung shut behind him, now able to properly see the extent of damage to her face, which made him feel both sick to his stomach and filled with rage all at once. He took the mat she had used to cover the little make shift bed that she had made for herself, dragging it over toward the door where he then sat down on it. It looked odd that such a tall, lanky guy could look so small when sat down with his knees against his chest and arms resting on them, or she thought so at least.

"You don't gotta tell me what happened, shit, you ain't gotta talk at all but i'm gonna sit here with you a while."

Sam pulled her hood back on, still not wanting him to see her face even though he already had, almost like she was ashamed and embarrassed of it, even if she shouldn't have been because it was out of her control. She recoiled in on herself the way a scared kid would when they heard a scary story or got frightened in the middle of the night after a bad dream, which made him feel so damn upset with the fact that she felt like she couldn't even trust him. He couldn't blame her though, god only knew how long she had been taking beatings like that from her foster family, it was no wonder that she didn't feel safe with anyone or that she had finally snapped when Casey had bullied her; given what he somewhat knew now he actually thought she handled herself well given the circumstances.

"You can't stay here Sam, once i leave it'll be completely locked up and the alarms kick on and the smallest movement can trick the damn alarms here, fuckin' mouse triggered it last week at three in the damn morning." He dragged his hand over his stubbled jaw and then looked back to her. "I got a spare room, you can stay as long as you need, at least it'll be safe and warm, hell we can even get some pizza on the way."

"Nowhere is safe." She muttered but didn't bother looking at him. "They'll just report me as a runaway."

While that may be true he still knew she was a whole lot safer staying with him then she was staying in a storage room, especially in her condition.

"Yeah, maybe but..." He trailed off, lips smacking together. "You won't be alone and you'll have me there to have your back if the shit does hit the fan and trust me kid, i don't fuckin' scare easy."

It was quiet again for another few minutes before Sam lifted her head to look at Negan, who looked quite content just sitting the opposite side of the room with her in complete silence, like he was at peace and genuinely was enjoying it. That was sign enough for him to lift himself off the ground and slowly move toward her, offering his hand out to help her up. More hesitation but she took it and he carefully helped her to her feet, then handed over her crutches before he slung his bag over her shoulder and offered a warm smile, the complete opposite of his normally threatening facial expression. He walked slow with her and would glance to her every few seconds to make sure he wasn't walking too fast or to make sure that she wasn't struggling but she seemed ok, the relief on her face however, was evident when they got to his Chevy truck and he opened the passenger seat door for her. It took her a moment to get herself inside and he waited patiently until she was in before he settled her crutches in beside her seat and closed the door. 

"Poor fuckin' kid." He muttered to himself as he moved to the drivers side and got in, making sure that she was buckled up before he started the car. "I don't know about you kid, but i could eat a whole fuckin' buffet right now and you look like a pepperoni pizza kind to me, hope you like garlic bread and other sides too, can't eat all that shit on my own."

"Pepperoni is good."

There was still some hesitance there but he was determined to win her over, at least make her laugh once, kid deserved that much at the very least and he had a few tricks up his sleeve to try and achieve that. The first one was singing purposefully horrible to whatever song came on the radio when he switched it on, but she didn't even glance at him, which busted him because it was his first one and he hoped that would have been all that it took. He wasn't going to push too hard either so he left the other tricks for later on, pulling into his driveway minutes later and then into the garage when the door had opened. Once more he helped her, this time it was with getting out of the car and then he walked slowly with her inside, flicking the light switch on the way in. 

"I'll show you your room." 

Sam followed him down the hall and into the spare room, which was pretty damn big on it's own but the built in bathroom just made it seem like a damn palace in comparison to her own room back at her foster parents house.

"Clean bed sheets, pillow cases and blankets, fresh towels in the bathroom, the tv in here has cable and netflix."

Her surprise was clear, that had made him smile at least.

"Why don't you get yourself settled in while i order some food and then i'll give you the ol' gran tour." He had pulled a face and opened out his arms, almost bowing and that was what got her to crack a smile, even if it was small and barely visible, it was there and he couldn't have been happier with himself as he left her be so she could get settled in.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam sat her bag and crutches down and then looked around the room and bathroom, unable to believe that this was all hers for the time being; it was more than she had had in a real long time. She shrugged off her coat and looked at herself in the mirror, she looked like the survivor of a freak accident and not at all in a good way, she almost couldn't stomach the sight of herself. Negan got food ordered for them and then sat down on the couch and flicked on a college football game, a little surprised when Sam came out and sat down, granted it was on the other end of the couch, it was still progress. The girl didn't say anything so he didn't either, besides, she seemed to be enjoying the game just as much as he was which he was happy about. He only dragged himself away from the couch when he heard the delivery driver knock at the door, tipping him before he came back and laid the food out on the coffee table, glancing briefly toward the girl with a raised brow.

"Eat up kid, shit if you don't i'll be offended."

He laughed at himself but quietened up when she reached for a slice of pizza and began eating, he was happier when she ate until she put herself in a food coma, he couldn't imagine what she had been though but he could try and change what her future looked like at least.

"What if the cops figure this shit out and try to take me back to them?"

"Well, we figure that shit out if it comes to that but don't go worrying about any of that, you leave that to me."

Kid deserved to be happy and to be able to live her life like a damn kid, he had wanted kids after all but that chance had flown out the window when Lucille had gotten sick. He shifted on the couch so that he could be facing her, shrugging before a playful smile lightened up his entire face, like that of a kid on christmas.

"I don't know about you, Sammy but i fuckin' love the shit out of some chocolate ice cream after some damn good pizza!" 

He jumped off the couch and all but ran to the kitchen, coming back with a tub of said ice cream and two spoons, earning a look from her.

"Well shit, i'll just eat it all myself then." He joked, only for her to break a smile and take a spoon from him. "Ah, fuckin' knew you'd like chocolate."

The night progressed slowly and she had eventually left to go to bed and get some sleep. She couldn't recall a time when she had felt so safe and comfortable, or not at least since she was young anyway. Negan stayed up a little while longer and then decided on getting some sleep himself and he was damn glad it was the weekend, it meant getting a little extra sleep before he had to get up and get shit done, first thing was first, breakfast. Negan pulled on some sweats and then went to the kitchen and started cooking, able to hear the shower running from the spare room, she was awake at least and she hadn't run out, that was a good sign. He would have to come up with a way for her to be able to stay with him because he definitely couldn't let her go back to her foster parents, not after the shit they had done to her.

Sam came out dressed in sweats in time to see him setting down two plates of food at the table, gesturing for her to sit down and eat, to which she did and was surprised that he had cooked breakfast too, but it was delicious and once more she ate until she was full and then even helped him with the dishes, even though he persisted against it. 

"You know, you're not the asshole you make yourself out to be at school, you kinda got this soft spot to you huh?"

"Don't go telling anyone that at school, i'll never hear the fuckin' end of it."

Sam broke into small laughter and then gave his shoulder a gentle nudge before saying, "don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"You like art and shit right? I always see you drawing in that book of yours at in the back of the class, so why don't you go and change and we'll head out and go to the art museum, maybe make a fuckin' day of it and get some lunch or something too."

She was about to speak when there was a loud knock on the door that startled her and before he could even make his way to the door he heard the announcement from the other side that let him know it was the police and he looked to the girl who was already losing her mind, even if she was silent about it.

"Go to the room and hide under the bed with your bag, i'll handle this."

Thankfully they had washed and dried the dishes so he didn't have to worry about that, Sam also made the bed and made sure everything looked untouched before she hid under the bed with her bag, hoping to god that they wouldn't find her and take her back.

"What can i do for the two of you on this fine fuckin' day?'

"We have a report of a missing child, Sam Marson and we have a witness that matches the description of Sam getting into your car late yesterday afternoon, we have a warrant to search your home." The stuffed the paperwork into his hands before they barged past him and looked through his house.

Negan would have been lying if he said that he hadn't been worried for Sam and the police finding her, he had to protect her, he knew that much and that meant he would do whatever it took to do so. He sipped at his coffee while they searched the house, thankful that they didn't find her hiding under the bed and he knew that they weren't happy about coming up empty handed just looking at them.

"You know that if you have anything to do with Miss Marson's disappearance that you will go to jail and you will never get out either, so i suggest that if you know anything that you tell us now, i don't want to have to put you in handcuffs, take you down to the station and then have to question you for hours on end."

It was a scare tactic that didn't work a single bit on Negan, he didn't even twitch but before he could say anything, Sam came into the living room and shook her head, bag slung over her shoulder as she moved to stand in front of the lanky figure that was her coach.

"He didn't do anything but help me, he had nothing to do with this, you can't put him in jail! I begged him for help, it was all me. My foster parents beat me up, every day, they did this to me." She gestured to her leg and then to her face with tears in her eyes. "Please, he didn't do anything wrong!"

"Damnit kid, i told you to stay in the fuckin' room." He sighed heavily and shook his head, making an attempt to stand in front of her but stopped when one of the officers placed his hand on the gun at his hip. "There's no fuckin' need for that bullshit so don't even try it, the kid just fuckin' told you that her foster parents abuse her and you're gonna try and threaten me asshole?"

"Come on Miss Marson, you'll have to come down to the station with us so we can get all of this sorted out."

One of them placed a gentle hand to her shoulder and urged her out of the house, Negan quick behind them after pulling on a pair of shoes, hesitant on not letting them take her away and send her back to her damn death, because that's what would happen if they sent her back there.

"You can't take her in without an adult present! I may be a sports coach but i ain't fuckin' thick in the head."

One of the officers grabbed him roughly, slamming him against the hood of the car and reefing his hands behind his back to put handcuffs on him, obvious that they had had enough of the man and the way he had carried himself during this incident, sure it wasn't the calmest reaction but they didn't seem to give a single damn about the kid and that wasn't ok with him at all. They waited for another patrol car to come and stuffed him into the back while they put Sam in the other, through crying and pleading to leave Negan alone, it was all no use at this point, they seemed to think that he was in the wrong when all he had done was keep her safe.

Her foster parents were already waiting for her at the police station but they didn't get to talk to her right away, they had to type up a report and open a case into her accusations towards them, which had child services down at the precinct with a lawyer for her and her case worker, who assured her that she wouldn't be going back with her foster parents until the investigation was over. She was there for hours, between giving her official statement and then having to have her injuries photographed, she truly felt drained and exhausted.

"I want to stay with Negan." She told her case worker and lawyer, who both looked at each other and then back to her, the look they wore not looking hopeful for her one bit.

"Sam," Francine began, only to be cut off by the battered girl.

"No, it's about time i got a say in where i go and who i stay with! You never noticed a damn thing, all the times that you came for checkups and i had a new injury, you never even thought to look into it, never thought to ask me how i was or talk to me, just to them. I'm not going anywhere unless it's with Negan!"

"Let me see what i can do." Francine looked to the lawyer and the two of them left the room so they could make some calls.

Francine knew that she was partly to blame in all of this, she should have known better and done better, she should have protected her from all of this and now she had lost the rapport that she once had with Sam and she seemed to feel safe with Negan, she owed her that much. Negan spotted the two of them after finally being released from the holding cells, light bruises graced his slender wrists from the cuffs they had placed on him, much tighter than they should have but complaining about it wouldn't have done him any favours at all, so what was the damn point.

"Where's Sam? You plan on sending her back to her fosters?" He asked, jaw clenched and brows furrowed. "Because she was so desperate to get away from them that she was prepared to live in the sports storage room in the gym of her high school for the rest of her life if it meant she was safe from those sorry excuses of people."

Her lawyer, Marcus, could see the frustrations that the man had about the whole situation and walked with him down the hall so the two of them could talk. He was informed that she wouldn't be sent back to her foster parents unless a court decided that they were fit to have her and he then explained that she refused to go anywhere else unless it was with him, which almost broke his damn heart, only able to imagine how scared she must be having to go through all of this feeling like they didn't care about her at all. Marcus told Negan that they were trying to work out something with a judge so that she would remain with him on a temporary order until the case was closed and decided in court.

Part of him was relieved and another part of him worried that a judge might not sign off on something like that, he just hoped to whatever damn god was out there that the judge would do the right thing for the kid, hell, he would go there in person and argue the point with the judge if he or she disagreed and he wouldn't leave until she either agreed with him or had him arrested and dragged out of a court room kicking and screaming. The two spoke for a few minutes longer before Francine joined them, he couldn't tell a damn thing looking at her, he would hate to see that woman at a poker table.

"Ok, the judge had the police run a background check on you and that came up clear, it also helps that you're a teacher and one of hers too and the judge thinks that if anyone can look after Sam with her best interests at heart, that it is you. So she has granted temporary custody until this goes to court and a decision is made."

"Can i see her?" He asked, a shaky breath leaving him now that the worry had left him, at least for the time being anyway.

"Of course."

He was led into the room and he smiled as he approached Sam, opening his arms with a goofy smile on his face, something he had only ever done for his wife and her.

"Told you we'd work it all out when the time came. You're gonna be staying with me for a while kid, that ok with you?"

Sam hugged him tight, her hands gripping his shirt so tight that he thought she might break a knuckle or two but he could feel the relief leave her as he hugged her in turn and pulled away a few moments later.

"The two of you will now be taken to her former residence to collect any and all of her belongings and then you will both be taken back to your residence." Francine was happy to see that girl smile, she hadn't seen one the entire time she had known her but seeing it and with Negan at her side nonetheless, it spoke numbers to how much Sam had come to trust him.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was able to get all her belongings and from there on out they were back at his place without having to worry about her being swept away and given back to her foster parents. Negan wanted Sam to meet Lucille so he took her with him to the hospital, stopping to get flowers for his wife and a single flower for Sam, who smiled when it was given to her, it was the first time that anyone had ever actually given her a flower, so it was kind of sweet and definitely thoughtful. At the hospital he spoke to his wife's doctors to see if his wife's condition had changed at all, only to find out that she was very slowly getting worse, yet he couldn't let her go yet, it was selfish of him and he knew it; he also knew he didn't deserve to be able to keep her around when he hadn't been loyal to her, but beyond all of that, he loved her more than he was ever able to express to her. He headed into her room with Sam at his side, getting rid of the old flowers by her bedside so he could replace them with the new ones, then pressed a kiss to her forehead and ran his hand through her hair.

"This is my wife, Lucille. She got sick real quick last year and we found out she had cancer, the terminal kind. We did all the treatments and surgeries but nothing ever worked. Now she is in a coma and on a breathing machine, just waiting for the day that she... you know."

Sam looked over to her, she looked so peaceful laying there and was obviously well looked after, then looking at Negan, she could now see it taking a toll on him, something that hadn't been visible or apparent until that moment. She wasn't sure what to say or do except to sit down in the chair by her bed while Negan took his seat on the edge of her bed with a soft, yet heavy, sigh. He missed her horribly and he knew that if he could go back that there was a whole lot he would have changed, he would have been the perfect husband for her and made sure that they caught this much earlier than they had. He had always kept a brave face and tough exterior despite being absolutely broken on the inside, grieving his wife even though she was still partly with him and at times he felt like he was just talking to himself when he would visit and talk to her, it felt so fucking hopeless and yet he held on to whatever was left of her to keep himself able to continue living with what he had done.

"The two of you would have fuckin' ruined me, she didn't take my shit for a single second and yet, she still stayed with me."

'God knows why'- he thought to himself.

"Because she knew you better than anyone else, she knew the real you and she loved you." Sam chimed, watching the way he looked at her with regret, sadness and love. 

Negan just nodded, not really sure he wanted to get into everything right now, he knew he wasn't perfect and he still to this day had no idea why she stayed with him, even after everything he had put her through.

"Why don't you go and get yourself something from the cafeteria, it's just down the hall and down the stairs, maybe get me a coffee too huh."

He pulled out some money and handed it over to her and she took it with a nod, able to tell that he needed some time alone with his wife, anyone could have seen that. Sam went to the cafeteria and Negan let a tear roll down his cheek as he pressed another tender kiss to his wife's forehead, choking back a breath to keep himself from falling apart.

"I know we never got a chance to have kids, that was probably my fault though Lucille, i was always working all the damn time, if i could go back i'd change everything." He closed his hand around hers and brought it to his lips. kissing the back of it. "Sam needed me and i think a part of me needs her too but the judge only gave temporary custody, until a decision is made in court. I could adopt her, if they let me or they'd just throw her into another foster family and she doesn't deserve to get thrown around like that. I wish you were here with me, properly, so that you could meet her."

Sam had already come back, stood outside her room leant against the wall, out of Negan's sight though had caught the end of what he had said and then heard his soft cries and sobs and the 'i love you' that he would repeat over and over again until he had managed to stop himself from crying and was able to compose himself again. She gave him a few more minutes to get himself together and then came back into the room, setting his coffee down on the bed side table with his change before she sat back down. She didn't say anything and neither did he, not until he told her he loved her, pressed a kiss to her head and then told her that he would be back to see her again soon. The drive back to his place was silent, he hadn't even touched the coffee, he was never able to eat or drink anything after seeing her, not without feeling sick at least.

"You wanna eat ice cream and watch shitty movies? Always makes me feel better." Sam offered as they stepped inside and he was about to answer with a no before she was dragging him over to the couch and then getting the pint of ice cream from the freezer and two spoons.

He dragged his hand over his jaw as he slumped down into the couch, kicking his legs up on the coffee table and crossing them at the ankles as she came back out and handed him the spoon, before sitting down beside him and grabbing the remote.

"Alright kid, what're we watching?"

"Bad horror movies."

With that she picked one out and took a spoonful of ice cream as it started to play, eyes glued to the screen while Negan looked to her and then, with a sigh of defeat, turned his attention to the movie that was playing. Thirty minutes had gone by and the two of them were laughing and ragging on the movie, having completely come out of his slump without even realising it, not until the movie was over anyway and by then, he felt his appetite come back to him. Maybe he really did need her as much as she needed him.

"C'mon kid, gonna teach you how to make the perfect spaghetti."

Negan helped her off the couch and she followed him to the kitchen where they spent almost an hour cooking together, making sure he showed her and let her take the lead from time to time and even laughing with a shake of his head when she flicked a strand of pasta at the wall. She'd heard somewhere that if it stuck to the wall that it was cooked and ready to go, of course it had been something he had heard throughout his life too but never had he actually seen anyone do it and it had him in stitches with laughter. Sam was proud of herself for being able to get him to laugh again, though pointed out that he should breathe between laughter so he didn't pull or break a rib, if he was being honest, it wouldn't have been the first time that he had broken a rib from laughing too hard. They balanced each other out well and as time slowly progressed that much became obvious to not only him but to both her lawyer and case worker, who often stopped by and checked in on Sam. He took her to every doctor's appointment that she had, from the stitches being removed, scans being done to make sure her leg and ankle were healing well and even when she was taken out of the boot and placed into a knee brace instead. Her grades had even gone from being in the low seventies to being in the high nineties, if that wasn't enough, she even made two friends at school and started to feel like a normal teenager for the first time.


	6. Chapter 6

"Your sixteenth is next week." Negan remarked as he threw her the football, "You feel like a quiet day and night or you wanna invite your friends over and we can do a barbecue and a pool party or go bowling, whatever you want."

She thought about it as she caught the ball, tossing it back and forth between her hands for a minute before throwing it back and answering with, "I think a quiet day and night will be better."

Her court case was also a day after her birthday and she was a little worried that she might not be able to continue staying with Negan, worried that she would just get drafted off to another foster family who didn't even care about her and that the cycle of it would just keep going right on through. Still, she didn't voice that opinion, she instead decided that she would make every minute with Negan count and remember all the memories and happiness she had because he cared.

Negan tossed the ball, "can tell you're worried kid," He spoke after throwing it. "Don't worry, whatever happens, promise we will figure it out."

She caught the ball and nodded her head, giving him a smile even though she felt like her world was going to go crashing down around her once again. 

"Alright, what do you say to pizza and shitty movies huh? Can even get some popcorn going after the pizza."

"Sounds good."

The two spent the rest of the afternoon and night watching bad horror movies and stuffing their faces with pizza and then popcorn, which was a nice way to end a good day. Her birthday came a whole lot faster than he had hoped, because he too was worried about her not being able to stay with him anymore after the court date. However, he pushed that aside in favour of the look of shock on her face when she stumbled into the living room the morning of to see the layout of presents that he had gotten her.

"Happy birthday kid!"

"Birthday? You sure it's not christmas?"

He laughed and then gestured her to join him at the table where he already had breakfast laid out on the table for the both of them. He was excited to see her open all of her presents but he wanted her to eat first because even though he had agreed with her on a quiet day and night in, he had a big day planned ahead for the both of them. Negan could see that she was excited, she had a little smile on her face that despite her efforts to hide, was pretty damn visible and it made him chuckle softly as they finished up with eating. His lanky figure moved across the room so that he could set his phone down and record her reaction, something that he wanted to keep as a memory for the rest of his life. He handed her one present at a time, sat back in the arm chair watching her as she would unwrap them delicately and she would thank him after opening each one of them.

After opening the last one a few tears rolled down her face and she had sat the gift down and covered her face in her hands, he moved from the chair to the couch and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then pulled her hands away from her face and smiled.

"None of that now, you deserve all of it kid. That phone is all set up and ready to go as well, had them do it for me at the store before i wrapped it up. Now go take a shower and get changed, got a whole day planned just for you and i ain't gonna take no for an answer."

Sam wiped her tears and nodded her head before she left the living room to go and take a shower while Negan tossed the wrapping out, all except for the piece that she had kept and placed on her bedside table, and then he had put her presents in her room for her before he got ready himself. It was quite the day, he took her to all of her favourite places, from art galleries, museums, libraries and to finish of the day, he sat down with her at her favourite beach and watched the sky turn dark with a cup of coffee for himself and a hot chocolate for her. If this was the last proper day that they would get to spend together than it would be the perfect day. She had been pretty worn out by the time they had gotten home and ended up falling asleep watching movies on the couch with him, which made him smile and of course he carried her to bed and then cursed himself on the way out for getting too old to be doing those kinds of things.

The next morning wasn't entirely a great one, both Negan and Sam felt uneasy as they sat outside a courtroom waiting for her case to be heard and when they were called in, she sucked in a deep breath and headed inside with Negan following right behind her, taking a seat at her table along with herself, her lawyer and her caseworker. The good news was that her foster parents had been found guilty and were facing a long jail term, the rest felt like it was just dragged on and on and toward the end, it felt like the judge and her case worker had already made up their minds.

"Why don't i get a say for once? I haven't been allowed to have a say in anything since i was first put into the system and i don't think that's fair! I don't want to get sent off to another random family, there will always be that possibility of the same thing happening all over again, of getting beaten and starved. I want to stay with Negan, he's the only one who actually cares about me, he's the one who noticed what was happening and he is the one who stepped in. I don't need a new family with other kids and daises, Negan is all the family i need and i don't wanna be thrown around like a piece of trash again! So please, don't take me away from him."


	7. Chapter 7

The judge had already made up his mind before Sam had gone on her rant, he made a point to give her a smile of reassurance, like it was all going to be ok.

“Sam, what would you say to Negan adopting you? Would you be ok with that?” The judge asked, he already knew Negan’s answer, they’d spoken about it the day before her birthday.

When they discussed it over the phone, it wasn’t a guarantee of anything, it was just something that he wanted to know so that he had that information before making a decision.

“I wh.... yes!” She sputtered her words, “I’d really like that.”

Negan wore a smile as the judge then ruled on the decision, he would now legally be her father and when the judge spoke the words out loud, she froze in her seat for a moment with tear filled eyes.

“Congratulations Sam.” The judge announced.

Sam bounced to her feet and all but leapt into Negan with a tight hug, tears rolling down her cheeks as he hugged her tight and ran his hand through her hair.

“How about we go out huh? You can pick some stuff out for your room, do it up however you want.” He suggested as he pulled away from her, his calloused fingers wiping away her tears.

“But you already brought me a whole heap of stuff for my birthday, you don’t need to spend your money on me.” She said, walking out of the courtroom with him, glued to the lanky man’s side.

“Money don’t mean shit kid,” he said lowly. “It’s always gonna come and go, family, you and me, that’s what matters.”

He let her pick out anything she wanted, he had to urge her a couple of times and reassure her that she could get whatever she wanted. It ended up including some clothes, some furniture for her room, paint, some posters and the likes. Of course he unloaded it when they got home, telling her to go inside and eat some ice cream, it was her day after all. He’d just gotten the last of everything inside when he heard her scream, immediate panic setting in as he ran to the kitchen.

“Spider, Dad, fucking SPIDER!” She hollered and Negan burst into laughter as she sped behind him, using him like a shield.

“Kid, you about gave me a fuckin’ heart attack!” But he got it in a container and put it outside, far enough away from the house that it wouldn’t come back. “Alright, let’s start moving shit outta that room and start painting, gonna be fuckin’ fun!”

It took them an hour to get everything out, another half an hour to tape everything and lay down plastic sheets on the floorboards. It took another three hours in total to completely finish painting all coats, then they got everything moved back in and set up the way she wanted. He figured he’d let her hang her posters and do the other small stuff the way she wanted while he went and made them some lunch and got them both some water.

He came back into the room, setting down the plate of sandwiches he had made and then the two bottles of water.

“Shit, I think we did a damn good job.” He commented around a mouthful of food.

“I think so too.” 

The two sat in silence as they ate, enjoying the food and water after the work that they had put into getting the room done the way Sam wanted it.

“Why don’t you rest up, bet that knee ain’t feeling too great right now.” 

He took out the empty plate and then let her be, she looked exhausted and after their day, she deserved to relax and bask in it for a while. Sam went for a shower, changed into sweats and then fell asleep playing Xbox, one of the many presents that he’d brought for her for her birthday. He of course checked on her and chuckled to himself as he switched off the Xbox and tv and then made sure she was properly tucked in before he called it a night himself.

The days went by pretty quick and suddenly it had been a month that she’d been living with Negan now, everything was beyond perfect. Her grades were good, she had a few more friends and most of the bullying had stopped too. There’d be an occasion here and there but rather than fight like she had that one time, she figured she’d talk to the principal instead and it always seemed to work out for her.

Negan still portrayed the asshole coach at school, he didn’t treat her any differently than his other students and she was quite happy about that too. She finally felt normal, or some combination of weird and normal rolled into one, which she was also happy with. Negan made sure to spend time with her as much as possible, cooking, showing her around cars and bikes, basic carpentry, he didn’t want her to ever have to rely on anyone but herself if anything ever happened to him.

On the weekends they’d watch sports together, have barbecues, throw a ball around, among many other things. He’d even take her to the skatepark and watch her, though he always made her wear protective gear, last thing that she needed was another injury. There’d been reports on the news of a new kind of flu that had broken out, the numbers slowly beginning to rise and it wasn’t until a regular day at school that all hell had broken loose.


	8. Chapter 8

Negan had come out of nowhere, hand wrapped tightly around Sam’s as he led her through the halls, keeping her as close to him as he possibly could.

“Negan! What’s going on?” She asked, the two pushing through the crowds of students and teachers alike, all try to make their escape.

“Don’t know yet kid, just that we were told to get the fuck out.” His voice boomed out over the loud noises of people yelling and screaming.

The two hurried into his truck, speeding home through traffic and coming to a screeching halt in the driveway, where he proceeded to usher the girl inside and lock the door behind them.

“Go and pack a bag or two, clothes and other essential shit while I try and find out what the shit is going on.”

Sam did what he asked her to, while he switched on the tv to see absolute panic all over the news. Warnings of people eating people, to stay inside and lock the doors, the video footage they showed looked like something out of a damn horror movie. Panic shot through him, worry for his now daughter, for Lucille. In a hurry, he began packing a few bags too, clothes and essentials that they might need, food especially. When Sam came out of her room, she saw him phishing his keys from his pocket again.

“I need you to stay here, I gotta go to the hospital, check on Lucille.”

“Hey, no! No, family remember! I’m not letting you go alone.” It was obvious that she wouldn’t take no for an answer, despite the fact she still had no idea what was happening.

“Not gon..”

“I’m not letting you go alone and that’s that!”

Seems she’d made up her mind and he couldn’t argue with her, she was too damn stubborn for it. He pulled the car into the garage so that they could load the bed of his truck with their bags. Then he was ushering her inside again before they made their way to the hospital. Negan locked the car and kept her close yet again, blood covered the walls and doors, dismembered bodies scattered around as they made their way down the halls and finally made it inside Lucille’s room. The heart monitor was going crazy, no heartbeat detected and he broke immediately.

“No, baby no!” He ran to her side, attempting cpr to try and get her back, but by the look of it she’d been gone a few minutes now, and his best efforts weren’t going to work.

Sam sighed, her heart breaking, not just for herself, but for Negan too. It wasn’t until the woman on the bed began groaning and moving that she’d become worried, almost biting his neck before he’d had the chance to pull away.

“FUCK! No, Lucille... baby please. Not you.” He cried, tears poured down his face, frozen in place even as she moved to try and bite him again.

It had been Sam who had came to the rescue, pulling him away despite him putting up a fight and when Negan wasn’t able to put Lucille down, it had been Sam who did that too. She made sure to do it respectfully, using a pen, she drove it through the back of her head with all her force, rendering the woman still and dead once more. Negan crumbled to the ground, back against the wall and hands pressed in over his face as he sobbed and screamed, begging for her back.

The girl knew now, she’d seen enough zombie movies at this point to know that this was some sort of zombie outbreak. She moved to him, sitting herself down beside him, small arms wrapping around him and pulling him to her so that his head rest on her shoulder. She’d never seen him like this, he’d gripped the sleeve of her jacket so hard his knuckles went white, even left tear stains against her shoulder, paralysed in place by his loss.

“Negan.” 

He didn’t reply, his crying stopped but the silence, it was deafening.

“Dad, we can’t stay here,” she lifted his head. “We should take Lucille, at least give her a proper send off.”

He’d managed a nod, struggling to lift himself off the ground, hardly able to look at Lucille as he scooped her into his arms. They took her home and he began digging in the backyard, not letting Sam help him in any way. He’d already let down Lucille enough and knew that he had to at least do this for her, she deserved that. Sam wasn’t far from him at any point, she let Negan do what he had to and once he had covered her with dirt, she dragged him back inside and locked the doors.

The two sat in the corner of the room, close to the door that gave them entry into the garage, just in case anything happened. The only thing that had been worse than the silence, had been the cries and screams that could be heard outside, some close and some far off that just echoed, either way, neither sound was pleasant. They eventually fallen asleep, her head on his shoulder and his head against the wall, until Sam had woken him up pleading and crying his name, only for him to see a walker making its way over to them.

“Fuck, fucking shit!” He grumbled, pulling Sam up with him as he stood, rushing them into the garage, where he grabbed a baseball bat before he got in the car.

He had no idea where they were going to go, not the slightest clue, but he kept driving until he saw what looked like a small little community, that in itself was promise enough. Or he at least hoped so, for Sam’s sake.


End file.
